Air washing and conditioning apparatus



Jan. 19 1926.

1,570,577. A. s. ROMEjRO ET AL I AIR WASHING AND CONDITIQNING'APPARATUS Filed Sept. '29, 1922 2 Sheets-Sfieqg 1 E9 @f w fli 5 Jan. 19 1926. 1,570,577

A. s. ROMERO ET AL AI R WASHING- ANDv CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 29, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenio 2's.- flnZonaLoS.Romero, (2071112 0162,

system Patented Jan. 19, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,570,577 PATENT OFFICE.

ANTONIO s. ROMERO, OF SANTURCE, AND LUIS R. GONZALEZ, OF SAN JUAN,

I i romo moo.

AIR .WASHING AND CONDiTIONING APPARATUS.

Application filed September 29,-1922. Serial No. 591,333.

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that we, ANTONIO S. RQMERO and LUIS R. GONZALEZ, citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of Santurce and San Juan, in the Districtof Bayamon, Island of Porto Rico, have invented an Improvement in Air Wash ng and Conditioning Apparatus, of which thefollowing description, in connection w1th the accompanying drawings, is a specification,

like characters on'the drawings representing like parts,

This invention concerns the art of cleansing and conditioning air and other gases,

and aims to provide novel and improved means for treating the same. The invention will best be understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating one se-- lected embodiment of the invention and wherein,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in sec-' tion, of our device operatively applied to and mounted upon the outlet end of a discharge flue of any approved type;

Fig. 2,.a cross-sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a detail plan view of one of the vanes;

Fig. 4, a cross-section on the line 4--l of Fig. 1, giving a detail view of some of the vanes at or near their lower extremities;

Fig. ,5, a detail view. in section of an angle of the canopy above the vanes and showing the upper extremity of the water supply pipe and coil attached thereto; and

Fig. 6. a detail view in section of one of the radial subdivisions in the water supply and the method of attachment thereof to the lower supply coil pipe.

' Referring to the accompanying drawings, disclosing one embodiment of our invention herein selected for purposes of illustration, 2 frame work of open structure including a series of upright supports 10 is. mounted upon the upper or outlet end of the stack or due 11 from which the air and gases are discharged in the usual manner. This stack may be of any approved type or description, the type herein shown being of the usual upright cylindrical formation and constructed of sheet metal. The supports 10 are preferably four in number, constructed of angle iron and distributed at regular intervals on the circumference of the stack, being secured thereto at their lower ends in any suitable manner and extended upward above the stack a sufiicient distance to per mit the air and gases to be freely discharged laterally through the intervening spaces, whether a forced draft be employed to effect the discharge or otherwise, the upward movement of the air in a straight course beyond a predetermined .ele ation being re-' strained by a baflieplate 12 equal in area to the cross-section of the stack and horizon tally disposed within and suitably secured to the upright supports 10.

Surrounding the supports 10 and concentric-with the circumference of the stack extended upward in the path of egress of the air and gases is an endless screen 13 of wire mesh through which the air and gases may in part pass to the outer atmosphere but adapted to restrain the passage of accumulated particles of soot, cinders and the like which gravitate downward and are collected in an open trough. 14 arranged below the screen, as hereinafter described. The screen 13 is hung upona circular frame comprising .three metal rings 15 supported at different elevations on four upright posts '16 distributed around the circumference of the stack and resting at their lower ends upon the bottom of the trough 14. This trough surrounds the upper extremity of the stack and is in turn supported upon a series of brackets 17 suitably secured in position.

Arranged radially of the circumference of the stack as extended" upward and within the annular space intervening the separate series of upright supports 10 and 16 are a plurality of vanes 18 distributed at regular intervals so as to provide an uninterrupted series of narrow curved passages or lanes for the reception and direction of the moving air and gases. These vanes are of open or perforate structure, such as wire mesh or netting of suitable SIZQ and texture, and tormed and arranged in such-a manner as to come in formed by these vanes, which are preferably kept in a constant moist or wetted state by sprays of water projected downward over their surfaces and normally forming a liquid film to which the lighter carbonaceous particles in the air and gas readily adhere upon contact. The water for this purpose is supplied primarily from a main pipe 19 supported on the exterior of the stack 11 and extended upward through a sealed opening 20 in the floor of the trough 14, being con- ,Figs. 1 and 2, the curvatures of both vertical and horizontal sections being progres sively accentuated with the'rise in elevation, sothat, the air and gases rising from the stack are directed against the wetted surfaces of thevanes and cannot escape contact with some portion thereof, which would not be the case if the lanes between the vanes were arranged in straight lines from side to side. In the present embodiment of our invention these passages'orlanesare warped nected at this point to a separate pipefl2l or curved to such an extent at the top and surrounding the upper extremity of the particularly'neartheir outer edges that the Stack and within the trough 1.4: From this course of each lane at this point overlies the main circular coil or pipe 21 a series of lower portion of an adjacent lane. In this branch pipes 22, of reduced capacity and manner the air and gases are given a whirlarranged at regular intervals around the ing movement as they approach thetop of stack, extend upward in the angle o f the the vanes and are effectually prevented from upright supports 10 to the upper edges of passing completely out of the region of the the vanejs'18, being there connected by suit vanes without coming in contact at some able lateral extensions 24 to a separate horipoint with their wetted surfaces.

zontally arranged circular coil or pipe 25 Some portion of the air and gases will arranged at a central point over the vanes. normally escape through the screen 13, Fr em this upper coil 25 the water is conwhich is kept in a more or less moistened ducted to each of the vanes by means of instate by the water discharged through the dividual sprayer pipes 26 (Fig. 3), the latter terminal openings in the'sprayer pipes 26, being arranged in curved radial lines extend' 'b'ut the effect of the formation of the vanes ing from the inner edge of the vanes at a upon the movements of'the air and gases is point adjacent the circumference of the such that the larger portion thereof is distack as extended upwardto the outer edge rected upward and outward around the marof the vanes and into contact with the screen gin of the bafile plate 12,-passing thence into 13, each of the sprayer pipes being coni an upper chamber 80 formed by the pronected by a suitable tap 27 .to thelcoil pipe vision of an overhead housing or cowl 31. 25, and provided on its lower side with a This cowl as herein shown forms a sheet series of openings 28 distributed throughout metal covering supported at four points its length and adapted to release a constant upon upward extensions of the supports 10, and sufficient supply'of water to form a thin and comprises a flat central or body portion adhesive film overthe entire area of the atforming a circular disc, coextensive with the tached screen. Each of the sprayer, pipes stack in cross section, while an annular marand, consequently, the top edges of the atginal portion 32 is secured to this central tached vanes, forms a parabolic curvature, portion, being inclined downward and exwh'ich inthecase of the latter is gradually tended outward to overreach the vanes 18 reduced downward to a predetermined eleand providing sufficient intervening clearvation, such as the middle ring 15 of the ance at all points to permit the free passage screen frame, below which point the curvaof the escaping air and gases toward the ture is on a uniform arc (see Fig. 4). outer atmosphere. The inclined under sur- In addition to attachment at their top face of the marginal portion 32 forms a edges as above described, each of the vanes separate baflle plate tending. to arrest the is secured throughout its length on the-outer movement of the air and gases upward and edge' to the screen 13, and also at the inner operates to direct their course downward and extremity of .its bottom edge to an angle outward, the undersurface being kept coniron 29 which forms a circumferential ledge tinuously wet by an upper pipe coil 33 suitprovided on the upper extremity of the ably secured under the cowl, preferably in stack. 7 i the annular channel formed at the junction Thus it will be seen that if intersected by of the top and side surfaces of the cowl, and a horizontal plane, each of the vanes forms provided with a series of side openings 34 a curved section at every oint throughout (see 'Fig. 5) adapted to throw streams of its length, tl1e curvature of such sections be water over the surface of the marginal poring gradually'accentuated toward the outer tion 32, the water'for this purpose being edge as'the "elevation increases, as appears supplied by suitable upwardextensions of from the plan view of the vanes shown in the supply pipes 22 which are connected to Fig. 2, while if intersected by a vertical the coil in the usual manner. The water plane each vane is shown to form also a thus thrown on the cowl form's a thin sheet curved'section above the predetermined eleor film to which foreign particles still revation before referred to and as appears in maining in the air and gases read y h r being camie'd"downward by the water and,

collected in an annular gutter-= provided 'at the bottom of an annular apron 36 of .wire mesh suspended from the outer mar gin of the marginal portion 32 and freely enclosingthe upper extremity of the vanes 18, suitable leaders 3'? being provided-to discharge the contents of the gutters into the trough 14 below. The, surplus water and,

refuse collected in the trough 'iscarried off by means of aiwaste pipe 38 supported exteriorly on thestack and having-a receiving 'end projecting through and slightly abovethe bottom of the trough.

above described the air and gases emittedfrom the stack are not only cleansed of -the solid products of combustion -and other impuritiesbut are otherwise beneficially affected by the cooling,-cleansin and chemical action of the water-0r ot ersuitable liquidbrought in contact/therewith. Although we have indicated that this process of filtration is best aided in the present embodiment of our invention by maintaining thevane's and other wetted surfaces in a continuously moist state, it'should be observed that thecharacter of fuel, used or other conditions must largely determine the amount and manner of distribution of the moistening fluid as, for example, an intermittent in preference toa continuous flow.

It should be understood that obvious modifications in the 'form. structure, at-

" rangement and operation of parts are con templated within the scope of our invention.

WeClaim: I 1. a device of the class described, in combination, a flue, means for opposing the escape of air and gases in the line'of the flue, spirally "formed perforate vanes arranged to provide a seriesof lateral outlet passages, and means for washing and coolmg the air and gases discharged through said passages.

2. The method of purifying air and gases as herein described, including separating the main stream into a plurality of sub- "diyisions and directing said subdivisions through "relatively confined and laterally iiitel-communicating lanes or passages having an indirect course and adapted to 0ppose the flow of the air and gases both laterally and longitudinally, 'continuouslytreating the walls of said lanes or passages contacted by said air and gases with a cleansing audtempering liquid, and then reunit ing the air and gases and retreating the" same with a cleansing and tempering 1i uid. 3.-In a device of the class describe in combination, a flue, a baflle plate over the flue, and a plurality of perforate vanes pro-- viding a series of laterally intercommuni eating outlet passages,-sa1d vanes being curved in the directions at their length and means of the process of filtration width, "and means f or washing and cooling the air and gases discharged throughsaidji passa es. R

-4. n a device of the class described, in combination, a'flue, atbafile plate over the this, laterally arranged curved vanes prpviding a series ofintercommunicat-ing'outlet passages from theflue, a screen enclosing the vanes circumferentially, means for applying'a cleansingand tempering liquid to,

the vanes and said screen, (and means for collecting and dischargingthe solid products of combustion separated from the air and gases 5; In a device of the class described, in combination, a flue, a baflleplate over the .flue and'co-extensive, with the cross-sectonal -area. thereof, a series of perforate vanes forminglateral outlet passages from the flue, a cylindrical screen enclosing the vanes, a chamber for reuniting the air and gases passing out of said outlet passages;

and screenwith a fluid for washing and tempering the air and gases.

7. In a device of the class describedp in combination, a flue having an outlet, a bafiie over the outlet, a seriesof [perforate vanes arranged edgewise to the flue and .distributed around its circumference at said-outlet, said vanes beingcurved horizontally and vertically to form spiral passages adapted to, subdivide the mainstream of air and gases and to cause such subdivisional streams to assume a whirling action, a

screen enclosing the vanes, and means for cleansing and tempering the air and. gases.

8.'In' a device of; the class described, in combination, a flue-having an outlet, a bafile arranged over the outlet, a housing over the baffle enclosing a chamber'havlng an outlet, 21 series of spirally formed perforate vanes between the flue and the baffle providing lateral outlet passages for the escape of air andgasesand communicating with saidehamber, a screen enclosingthe vanes,

means for continuously treating the air and gases passing through said passages witha washing and cooling fluid, and auxiliary washing and'cooling' means for. treating the air and the baflle. g

In testimony whereof, wehave signed our names to this specification.

ANTONIO s." noMnR'o. LUIS'R. GONZALEZ.

gases collected insaid chamber over v 125 

